(For more stories on the Japanese economy, click [ID:nECONJP])
TOKYO, March 29 (Reuters) - Japan's jobless rate fell in February and the availability of jobs improved, government data showed on Tuesday, suggesting the economy was gradually escaping from a lull, although this month's devastating earthquake and tsunami clouded the outlook for business activity.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent in February from 4.9 percent in January, compared with economists' median forecast of 4.9 percent, figures from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications showed.
The jobless data excluded three prefectures -- Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima -- that were hit hardest by the earthquake and tsunami on March 11.
The jobs-to-applicants ratio rose to 0.62, its highest reading since January 2009, separate data from the labour ministry showed. It matched the median forecast and followed a 0.61 reading in January.
The number of new job offers rose 22.9 percent in February from a year earlier, gaining for a 12th month in a row, and rose a seasonally adjusted 4.0 percent from the previous month. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Edmund Klamann)